Fateful Encounter
by NorthTraveler77
Summary: Tanjirou once again finds himself crossing paths with the all-powerful demon, Muzan. How will this turn out for him?


Being ambushed by an upper moon demon wasn't something Tanjirou expected. He managed to get separated from Zenitsu and Inosuke after they arrived in Mt. Natagumo. The mountain is still heavily laced with trees and thick foliage; thankfully, there aren't as many spider webs this time around. Now, he finds himself attempting to get back to his friends. Tanjirou remembers how much trouble he had trying to sense any scent in this forest when they faced Rui and his entire family... until now.

It overwhelmed Tanjirou's sense of smell, causing him to gag slightly. This rotten, decaying flesh scent reminds Tanjirou of... death. Recognition slowly dawns on his face. Tanjirou continued to follow the same distinct scent that he once came across the first time in Asakusa. He knew that monster was close. Tanjirou vowed to avenge his family after discovering their mangled corpses that awful day. The scene evermore seared into his mind; it causes him nightmares every single night, waking up gasping for air. He gripped the hilt of his sheathed sword tighter, the smell of death becoming more intolerable the closer he gets to the source.

Tanjirou quickly made his way through the foliage, brushing aside any branches in his way. He felt his pulse quickening, the moment he has been eagerly awaiting for has finally arrived. He gazed upon a traditional structure that looks to be from the Edo period. It looks run down and empty; clearly no one has occupied it in a very long time. It comes as no surprise since there's very little left from that era due to modern architecture steadily laying claim over the land.

Tanjirou's dark eyes narrow in concentration. He moves forward with caution, the structure looming over him, and traipsed up the few flights of stairs. He paused in front of an archway, seeing nothing but pure darkness beyond. That demon was in there somewhere. Tanjirou could somehow feel him beckoning him inside, almost tauntingly so. With one final determined breath, he stepped across the threshold and suddenly felt a rush of dizziness overcome his senses. He stumbled slightly, almost losing his footing but managed to quickly regain his bearings. He slowly opened his eyes and noticed he was in a different room. Confused, he turned around and immediately noticed the archway had disappeared, but in its place was a sliding door. _I've seen this use of Blood Demon Art before... Tanjirou quietly took in his surroundings. Out of nowhere, a voice breaks through the silence._

"How nice of you to finally join me, Tanjirou."

Tanjirou whipped his head back around, recognizing the demon's sinister voice, but what caught Tanjirou off guard was seeing a woman in his place, dressed in an elaborate kimono. Those cold red-blood eyes are eerily identical to Muzan's very own. _Wait... who is this woman? Tanjirou watched the demon's lips curve into a wicked smile._

"I can shapeshift into any form I please. Hopefully, it is not too daunting for you?" There was a slight mocking hidden underneath that tone.

Tanjirou seethed at Muzan, "You slaughtered my entire family, you monster!" He unsheathes his sword, aiming the tip in the demon's direction. Muzan remains composed, clearly unfazed by Tanjirou's sudden outburst. "I promised I would find you again and slice off your head!" Seeing the fiery look in the boy's eyes ignites a spark within; it has been so long since he's last seen anything close to that gaze since that fateful day.

Tanjirou takes a deep breath, steadying his sword while digging both of his feet into the tatami floor. Every muscle in his body tenses, ready to strike. He focuses his attention on Muzan who hasn't moved an inch, looking fairly amused. Tanjirou lunges forward with great speed, sprinting before leaping high into the air, raising his weapon above his head, preparing to strike straight down on the demon.

He releases a fearless shout while he closes in. Determined to end the king of all demons. Suddenly, he sees the opening thread attached to Muzan's throat. _Total concentration! Water breathing! First form! Water surface slash! With all his strength, he swings his sword down in one swift motion and in a flash, he finds his sword connecting with nothing but air. With a surprised look, Tanjirou immediately loses balance and reflexively shifts his body bringing both feet forward, and slides across the floor several feet._

Tanjirou quickly spins himself around bringing his sword back in front of him, ready to attack once more. Breathing heavily, beads of sweat begin to form on his brow. _What the hell just happened!? He hears the demon chuckling off to his left side. Instinctively, he jumps back gaining some distance._

"I admire your brazen attempt to strike me, but make no mistake, I could easily kill you where you stand." Muzan drawls, arching an eyebrow at Tanjirou.

"I'll do whatever it takes to cut you down." Tanjirou sneered with derision, dark eyes flashing with fury.

The demon's grin grew wider, his teeth gleaming with malicious intent. Muzan raises one elegant hand, his index finger pointing upwards. He watches the boy furrow his brow in confusion. Immediately, Tanjirou loses the firm grip of his sword which clatters to the floor loudly while his knees slam into the floor; a sharp pain shoots up through his entire body. He grits his teeth attempting to stand up again. He struggles to move even a single muscle. _W-what's happening to me!? _

"I have paralyzed your body. You are unable to move without my command." Muzan leisurely makes his way to the now paralyzed boy, towering above him. Tanjirou glances up at Muzan with unadulterated hatred. A smirk gradually creeps across Muzan's face in response.

"I must admit, I do like you in this position... but I would rather see you much lower." Tanjirou felt an invisible force push down on his entire body, struggling to overpower whatever force the demon's using. Tanjirou's feeble attempt to stay upright seems futile and eventually, his forehead rests against the floor. He hears the demon hum in satisfaction. Muzan slowly circles the demon slayer like a predator toying with its prey. Tanjirou scrunches his eyes closed, feeling helpless in his current predicament. A pang of fear briefly overtakes him. Muzan crouches down beside the boy and roughly grabs a handful of his burgundy hair; his sharp nails dig into his scalp, causing Tanjirou to yelp in pain while yanking his head up. "I can smell your fear... it's rolling off of you in waves." He purrs into Tanjirou's ear.

"D-don't touch me!" His voice shaking, attempting to sound brave despite the opposite. Muzan ignores him as if he didn't say anything. The demon's curious gaze traces along the demon slayer's scar on his forehead, down to the hanafuda earrings. His lips curl in disgust; he reaches out to both earrings and yanks each one out, hearing the boy hiss in pain.

"Much better." He lowly murmurs. He watches a drop of blood from the boy's earlobe slide down his neck. Muzan's pupils narrow into fine slits. "My, you have such a pretty neck..." He drags one of his sharp nails down the expanse of Tanjirou's throat, ripping open the skin, reveling in the blood that begins to seep out. Tanjirou cries out and shuts his eyes tighter, wishing for this torture to end. Muzan's tongue darts out and licks his own bottom lip, imagining himself slowly draining the life, his very essence, out of the demon slayer.

Tanjirou's breathing continues to intensify, feeling the hot wisps of Muzan's breath land onto his still exposed neck. With his other hand, he cups Tanjirou's face delicately. Muzan slowly leans in, his razor-sharp teeth ready to pierce the boy's skin. Muzan's lips twitch into a cold smile, eager to end this demon slayer's bloodline once and for all.

"Tanjirou!"

Tanjirou's eyes snap open, having heard the shouts of Zenitsu and Inosuke calling out to him. Muzan abruptly stops in his tracks, glancing towards the noise. He pulls away from the boy and Tanjirou hears the soft sigh of disappointment.

"You're very lucky your friends have found you." He says with displeasure, clearly irritated by the disruption. He glances down at Tanjirou who is still unable to move. "Next time you won't be so lucky." He slowly leans in,"...Tanjirou." He whispers his name, his lips brushing against Tanjirou's ear. Tanjirou feels the cruel grip in his hair disappear and the invisible force lifted off of him. He lets out a shuddering breath he didn't realize he's been holding this entire time. Muzan was gone. Tanjirou reaches a hand towards his own throat and winces at the stinging sensation. He will need to tend to that open wound soon, but first, he needs to leave this chilling place and find Zenitsu and Inosuke.

Unexpectedly, Tanjirou's eyes became blurry. Hot tears began to streak down his face, he clenches his hands into tight fists. He is nowhere near ready to defeat that powerful monster. He felt humiliated and powerless. _I'm sorry Nezuko... I promise I'll find a way to return your humanity! I'll find a way to strike that damn monster down for what he did to us all!_


End file.
